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NEWS
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The Hickingbotham School of Business is home to Ouachita’s business majors. Starting in fall 2023, the school will offer a new online Masters of Business Administration (MBA) program to enhance business acumen skills. (photo by Levi Dade)
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Hickingbotham School offers new MBA program to students
BY RACHEL DUNNAM
Opinions Editor
There is a new master’s program on the horizon at Ouachita in the Hickingbotham School of Business. Set for the Fall of 2023, Ouachita is preparing to begin a Masters of Business Administration degree program (MBA). An MBA is a postgraduate degree that is focused on business administration and is high in demand in the United States. This program will give students an opportunity to reach new heights and explore different career paths within the business world. Bryan McKinney, Ouachita general counsel and dean of the Hickingbotham School of Business, is excited for this new program, believing that it is a step in the right direction for the university.
“Hopefully the addition of a graduate program will add prestige to the reputation of our school and that’s a good thing,” McKinney said. “But rather than thinking about what this program will do for the school, we’d like to think more about what the program will do for students. We believe we’ve envisioned an MBA that will be tremendously valuable for students who are progressing through their careers and need that next level of business acumen.”
The fully-online MBA requires 30 hours and can be completed in a year. Although there are no internships required, there is a required program-long practicum which will provide three hours of credit. The program will include courses such as Entrepreneurship/Intrapreneurship Practicum, Economic Tools for Managerial Decisions, Leadership, Faith, and Business, Managing with Accounting Information, Telling Your Story: Digital Marketing and Personal Selling, Management and the Law, Managing Data, Financial Analysis and Valuation, Global Management, and Strategic Management. Each of these courses is eight weeks long and can be taken two at a time.
“The Hickingbotham School of Business feels the timing is now right to move forward with its own MBA,” Mckinney said “We are the only private AACSB-accredited business school in the state of Arkansas, so we believe that will be a meaningful niche for us and our students.”
Ouachita’s MBA program will offer something different from all the rest. It’s no secret that Ouachita is a special place, and the Christian values and worldview that this program will reflect gives students a unique perspective. Dr. Marshall Horton, Regions Bank Professor of Economics and Finance in the School of Business, tells about what those interested can expect from the program.
“Most MBA programs are academic in nature with standardized, traditional, undergraduate courses squeezed into a smaller time frame,” Horton said. “Our goal is to offer unique content with an emphasis on applicability rather than academic rigor for its own sake.”
For more information about the new MBA program in Ouachita’s Hickingbotham School of Business, students can contact Bryan McKinney at mckinneyb@obu.edu or at (870) 245-5513.
Ouachita has officially broken ground on what used to be the intramural fields and what will soon be a new track for the cross-country and track teams. A major inspiration for the track was the program’s growing numbers. There were only seven athletes on the team in 2019, and in 2022, the team reached 90 members. As the team continues to grow, a facility is needed to train and maintain the outstanding talent of Ouachita’s track and cross-country teams.
The track is a significant development as the team trains almost anywhere they can. “We have used grass fields, dirt roads, the indoor practice football facility, Arkadelphia High School and other facilities to accommodate the team’s practice,” said Steve Guymon, head coach for cross country and track.
The team is more than excited to finally have a dedicated area for their training. Not only will it help current members, but it will also help grow the team in numbers for prospective athletes through the recruitment process.
Dr. Keldon Henley, vice president for institutional Advancement and chief of staff, shares some details about the progress of the track.
“The Board of Trustees will give final approval for the building of a track facility when the necessary funding is secured,” Dr. Henley said. “The work they’re doing right now on the site is to get a good headstart on the project when funds are approved.
Restructuring the intramu-
Ouachita begins to build new track for flourishing program
BY MARIAH HALBERT
Staff Writer
ral fields has been a major challenge due to the flooding from the Ouachita River. “To protect the proposed facility from Ouachita River flooding, the site is being raised an average of nine feet, using fill dirt from the area south of the site,” says Dr. Henley.
And for those concerned about the restoration of the intramural fields, worry no more. There is a plan in place to build new fields. “We’re relocating the intramural fields toward the river approximately 100 yards east of their former position,” Dr. Henley said. “We expect to have them ready for use by next August.”
The addition of this track has been exciting for the team. “We are very appreciative of the support from the administration on the growth of our program,” Guymon said. With the women’s cross country team winning the Great American Conference championship in November, the track is a delightful reward for the team’s hard work.
Several individuals have been instrumental in making adjustments to allow space for the new track. “We’re especially grateful for the efforts of Shane Seaton and the Rec Life team in handling this year of transition and disruption,” Dr. Henley said.
NEWS
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Left: Autumn Walters (left) and Maddie Cox (right) paint Christmas ornaments. The Women of Chi Mu hosted at a pre-rush event for 2023 rushees during which participants made Christmas ornaments and bonded over many conversations. (photo by Sarah Dean) Right: Students have conversations over s’mores during a pre-rush event hosted by The Women of EEE for all of the 2023 rushees. (photo by Coleman Callan)
Ouachita panhellenic, social clubs, rushees begin preparations for upcoming spring rush
BY EMILEE WEBB
News Editor
As Ouachita students are gearing up to return home for Christmas break, a large portion of campus is already looking toward the beginning of next semester for one specific reason: rush. Rush will be held the first week students return to campus, starting Jan. 16 and ending Jan. 21. It is an exciting process for many and much work is already being invested by those on all sides of rush — Panhellenic, club members, and rushees — to ensure that it is a great experience for all.
Those choosing to participate in the rush process will attend rush parties from each social club on campus. For women, the social clubs are: The Women of Chi Delta, The Women of Chi Mu, The Women of EEE, The Women of Gamma Phi and The Women of Tri Chi. For men, the social clubs are: The Men of Beta Beta, The Men of Eta Alpha Omega, The Men of Kappa Chi and the Men of Rho Sigma. After hosting these events all week, clubs will put on a bid day for the new members.
Along with this exhilarating process often comes a week that can be stressful for all involved. Ouachita Panhellenic, the team that plans rush, is working hard to make sure that 2023 rush is a smooth process for everyone. Emily Horn, senior communication sciences and disorders major, serves as Panhellenic co-president for this year. Horn shares the changes that have been made to rush this year in order to ease the process.
“The rush schedule is changing this year,” Horn said. “We are starting on Monday instead of Tuesday. We will do two days of rush, Monday and Tuesday, with no voting. Then, on Wednesday, there will be no parties, but there will be voting. Thursday, Friday and Saturday will be the same as previous years, with parties on Thursday and Friday and bid day on Saturday. A lot of people can get sick during rush week because of the stress and level of activity of the week. So, this extra day in the rush schedule gives everyone a break. It will be great for Panhellenic to talk to all of the girls on this day off, and it will be a much-needed break for the rushees and club members in the middle of the week.”
From the club perspective, the rush process is a way to make connections and share what it means to be a part of their sisterhood or brotherhood. Michal Felan, a senior psychology and sociology double major, serves as The Women of Chi Mu’s president and head induction chair. Felan expresses her social club’s passion and excitement for rush.
“Chi Mu has been preparing for rush for a while now,” Felan said. “Our rush chairs have been working since they gained their position last spring. We have been planning how to make it Chi Mu’s best rush yet and how to show the rushees what Chi Mu is all about.”
Felan also gives some advice for 2023 rushees. “If you are rushing, I want to encourage you to go into rush with an open mind,” Felan said. “Let the clubs show you who they are.”
Mason Campbell, a senior Christian studies major, serves as the president of the Men of Eta Alpha Omega. His run for the head position in his club began with a conversation with the current vice president, Luke Black, about how to make the rush process better.
Campbell said, “We really wanted to answer the question, ‘How do we best present ETA and what it’s all about through the rush process?’” He added, “Over the past several weeks, our youngest pledge class has come up to me and told me the things that we did well that made them want to ultimately join ETA, as well as the things we may need to improve on. We’ve looked at the ways we’ve always done the rush process in the past and asked ourselves how we can adapt and change to represent our club better in the future.”
Campbell also offers advice to those looking forward to going through rush. “I think we can put a lot of pressure on this process by saying that being a part of a club is part of a person’s identity or the biggest part of their Ouachita experience,” Campbell said. “I think we worry so much when we think like that. But, if we go into the process with an open mind and really focus on having great conversations and making friendships, we would take a lot of the pressure off of the week.”
An advocate for the rush process, Campbell encourages students to participate for the overall experience. “The biggest thing is knowing that it’s ok to rush even though you have no idea what you want to do at the end of the week,” Campbell said. “Even if you are unsure if you want to pledge, it is still a great idea to rush. Rush should not have all of the pressure that we put on it. It’s worth doing and a fun part of the Ouachita experience.”
